Construction of motive power engines and pumps



H. C. FUND 1,922,477

CONSTRUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES AND PUMPS 2 Sheets-Sheetl l Aug. l5, 1933.

Filed June '7, 1930 Aug. l5, H: Q FUND i 1,922,477

CONSTRUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES AND PUMPS Filed June '7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nl VIII/11111,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONSTRUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER ENGINES ANI) PUMPS Herbert Charteris Flind, Wimbledon, England Application June 7, 1930, Serial No. 459,726, and in Great Britain June 18, 1929.

2 claims. (ci. 12s-s) This invention relates to the construction of exhaust to leave said chamber at substantially motive power engines and pumps. the outer wall thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide, in a For the purpose of forming` a gas tight seal rotary engine or pump, an improved arrangebetween the inner and/or outer casing and a ment of Working parts in which the motion is piston element or vane when the latter is disposed l purely rotational, and thus tends to give quiet substantially tangential to said casing, there is and smooth running and in which there may be provided a flexible strip attached by one edge two compression operations and two expansion to said casing across the width thereof and operations for each revolution of the shaft, thus projecting at the other edge into the annular greatly simplifying the adaption of said engine chamber, 65 to work on the four-stroke Otto cycle. One form of the invention is illustrated in According to the invention, in a rotary engine the accompanying drawings, in which or pump having a plurality of similar piston ele- Figure 1 is a sectional side `View of an internal ments or vanes which move in succession around combustion engine. l5 an endless path within an annular working cham- Figure 2 is arhalf sectional plan View corre- 70 ber, the piston elements orvanes are always parspending to Figure 1. Y I allel one with another and move so that every Figure 3 is a detail View to an enlarged scale point in each piston element or vane as a whole, Showing the method of sealing the joint between travels along a circular path of the same diamethe inner casing and one of the piston elements ter. y or vanes during compression. 5

The piston elements or vanes may be each car- Figure 4 shows to an enlarged scale a method ried upon two parallel pivotal axes which move 0f Sealing the iOintS between the Dine and the similarly each in a circular path contained in a adjacent casing. piane at right angles to said axes, the diameters Figure 5 shows diaelammatically a rotary enor said paths being equal, and the centres of the gine adapted to be Worked as a steam engine or 80 latter being spaced apart at a distance equal to pump. i that between the pivotal axes of any one piston The engine SlflOWn in Figures 1 and 2 COmDriSeS element or vane. two circular plates l1 and l2, the former being An engine or pump may comprise two plates, mounted OI rotation With a shaft 13 and having mounted eccentrically for rotation in parallel DrOJ'eCting rOIn itS aCe 14 a Series 0f pinS 35 planes, each being provided on its face presented 15 arranged in a Circle concentric with the to the other plate, with outstanding pins which Shaft 13, the outer ends of said pins 15 bearextend parallel with and in a circle concentric ing flat against the Surfae 15 0f the plate 12. with the axis of rotation of the plate and bear The plate 12 iS provided Similarly With a Series upon the Opposed Surface 0f the other p1ate, of pins 17 arranged in a circle of diameter 90 each of said pins being connected with a correequal t0 that Of the Circle 0f DinS 15 and ar- Spondng pin 0n the other plate by means 0f a, ranged SO that the Outer ends Of Said pills pivotally mounted partition extending complete- 17 bear flat against the Surface 14. The disc 1y across the space between Said Corresponding l2 is formed with a large hole at its centre and pins, thus forming one of a, Series of piston ele.. is mounted eccentric to the shaft 13 so that cor- 95 ments or vanes the wholeY of which series is l'eSDOnding DinS 15 and 17 lie Opposite t0 One anenclosed within an annular chamber, bounded Other, eaCh 0f the SDaCeS between Said Correin addition to a part of each plate, by an outer Spending DinS 15 and 17 being 00011D1901 by a casing disposed between the plates and outside DartitiOnl member 19 S0 Shaped that it fits partly the series of piston elements or vanes, and by an round eaCll Of the DinS 15 and 17 as Shown in 100 inner Casing, also between Said plates but dis- Figure 1, and extends from the surface 14 to the posed within said series of piston elements or Surface 16, (Figure 2). vanes, both said outer and inner casings being SnrrOnnding the Whole 0f the pill-S 15. and 17 formed on their inner and outer surfaces respeciS a hOllOW Casing 20 having a SrnOOth inner Surtively to conform substantially with the paths of faee against the right and left hand Sides 0I' 105V the outermost and innermost extremities, respecwhich bear the outermost parts of the pins 17 tively, of the piston elements or vanes. and l5 respectively. The casing 20 is supported In an engine it is convenient and beneficial for by and between two frame plates 22 and 23 by the working iiuid to enter the annular chamber means of bolts 24 passing through lugs 25 thereon, at substantially the inner wall thereof, and the the plates 11 and 12 being held in position so 110 as to bear against the sides 26 and 27 of the casing 20 by means of thrust bearings 28 and 29 respectively, the plate 22 also forming one of the bearings for the shaft 13. Within the circles of pins 15 and 17 is an inner hollow casing 30, tting between the plates 11 and 12 and formed with a second bearing 31 for the shaft 13 and formed, eccentric with the bearing 31, with an outstanding boss 32 which forms the bearing 32a for the plate l2 and has a running fit in the central opening in said plate through which it passes, and also forms a means of attachment of the inner casing to the frame plate 23. Thus a number of sealed compartments 33 are formed which, as the shaft 13 revolves, alternately increase and diminish in volume,V the maximum volume being enclosed whenV a compartment 33 is adjacent to either of the points Y1 and Y2, and the minimum volume when said compartment 33 is adjacent to either of the points X1 and X2.

In considering the action of the internal combustion engine shown, it will be convenient to trace the operationstaking place in one compartment 33 only, but it will readily be understood that identical operations take place in the remaining compartments 33 when they respectively Vreach corresponding positions in the annular chamber between the casings 20 and 30, and thus the effect, with regard to the total working impulses, is equivalent to that produced by an ordinary engine with a number of cylinders equal to the number of compartments 33, in an engine accordingtothe invention.

Thus, starting from the position X2 when a given compartment 33 contains its minimum volurne, the partitions 19 enclosing said compartment move upwardly past a flared inlet opening formed in the inner casing 30 and communieating with a pipe 35 for attachment to a carbureter or other fuel mixture source (not shown). Due to the velocity of the vanes and the extremely large area of the inletv opening, a cornpartment 33 is very thoroughly filled with fuel mixture when it reaches the position Yl.- As the compartment 33 approaches the position X1 the fuel mixture therein becomes compressed and on reaching a position adjacent to said position X1 is exploded by a sparking plug 36 in the known manner, Expansion of the gases in the compartj ment 33 then takes place as the latter moves downwardly to the position Y2, after which the volume of said compartment 33 diminishes and the exhaust gases are expelled through an exhaust opening 37, this operation being perl formed thoroughly owing, iirstly, to the large area of exhaust opening and secondly to the centrifugal force acting on the exhaust gases, due to their angular velocity. y

The engine shown in Figures 1 and 2 is adapted for water cooling, the inner casing 30 and the outer casing 20 being formed with cavities 33 and 39 respectively through which water is circulated by means of pipes 40. L Study of Figs. 1 and 2 will show that the pipes 40 are'brought to the engine in a plane between the planes of the plates 11 and 12, and each has a branchv connected directly with the outer wall of the casing 20 to communicate with the chamber 39. The pipes then pass laterally to clear the plate 12 and then toward the center of said plate alongside the same, the ends of the pipes being thenl turned toward the plate to pass within the boss 32 and be connected with the casing 30 to communicate with the chamber 38.

It is desirable that, in order to maintain a gas-tight joint between the inner casing 30 and a partition 19, when the latter is passing the point X1, said partitions 19 should be of curved formation as shown at 41 in Figure 3, and further, a strip 42 of iiexible material may be attached to the inner casing 30 so as to bear at its outstanding edge 43 against said curved surface 4l, against which it is forced into contact by the explosion pressure acting upon the underside of said edge 43, A gas-tight joint is not necessary at the point X2 as the pressure at this point is approximately atmospheric. In order to form a gas-tight joint between each of the pins 15, 17 and the inner and outer surfaces of the casings 20 and 30, the pins 15, 17 may be provided with surfaces 44 and 45 respectively, which form arcs of circles concentric with the pitch circles of the pins l5 and 17 respectively.

1f desired the pins 15 and 17 may be arranged so that the gas pressure in the adjacent ccmpartments tends to force said pins l15 and 17 against the appropriate casings 20 and 30; thus,

for instance, as shown in Figure 4, the pins 15 and 17 may be mounted eccentrically upon further pins 46. A

- The application of the invention to the design of a steam engine is shown in Figure 5, in which the steam is admitted to the compartments 33 when the latter come opposite the port openings 47 and 43, expansion taking place until the points Y1 and Y2 are reached, after which the'steam is exhausted through rthe ports 49 and 50, respectively. This design is also suitable for a pump, or if desired a complete motor-pump unit, the steam or other working uid being admitted and exhausted at 47 and 49 respectively, while the fluid to be pumped enters at 48 and is deliveredV at 50. y

In an internal combustion engine according to the invention the cooling may be performed by air or any known method, and also the application of lubricating oil may be either by the admixture of said oil with the fuel mixture, or by the application of said oil direct, under pressure or otherwise, preferably introduced at the position X2 where there is practically no internal pressure,

When the sparking plug 36 is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, a variation of 20 to 25u is obtainable in the position of a compartment 33 at which ignition takes place. 1f, however, this is insuicient a greater variation may be obtained by fitting a second sparking plug (not shown) in the outer casing at a suitable point.

1n some cases it may be desirable, when once the position of the sparking plug 36 for best running has been determined, to arrange such sparking plug to give a continuous spark at this point. the charges in the compartments 33 being automatically exploded when they successively arrive opposite this point.

Further, the pins 15 and 17 may be of unequal diameters, provided the pitch diameters of the two circular series of said pins are equal.

What I claim is:-

1. A rotary engine or pump, comprising two plates, mounted eccentrically relative to each other for `rotation in parallel planes, and each provided on its inner face with outstanding pins which extend to the inner surface of the other plate, pivotally mounted partitions each extending completely across the space between and engaged at its opposite side edges with corresponding pins, thus forming one of a series of vanes, and inner and outer casings disposed between the plates andl dening an annular chamber containextending entirely across the space between corresponding pins and having its side edges partly encircling the respective pins to be carried pivotally thereby, and inner and outer casings disposed between the plates and. defining an annular chamber containing said pins and partitions, the inner casing having an inlet port discharging through its periphery into said annular chamber, and the outer casing having an outlet port leading from said chamber.

HERBERT CHARTERIS FLIND. 

